Read the cat article, "Feeding Older Cats".
Feeding Older Cats
As cats grow older, their dietary needs change. Older cats are often more
finicky about what they'll eat and may prefer to eat smaller portions at a
sitting. Some have fewer and more sensitive teeth than in their younger days and
find it harder to eat food that requires a lot of chewing. Digestion takes
longer for older cats, and their metabolism slows down. In general, the older
the animal becomes, the less active its going to be.
With less activity comes a reduction in lean muscle mass and lean body mass,
so the energy requirements of the older animal tend to be reduced. A common
mistake made by owners is to feed their elderly cats the same amount of calories
as was needed when the animal was younger and more active, resulting in an
overweight cat; though some older animals do remain active, and require the same
caloric intake to maintain their weight.
Excess weight is especially hard on a senior cat. It overloads the muscles
and the joints, it increases the demands on the heart and lungs, and it is
associated with such conditions as diabetes and kidney disease.
For some cats, old age can bring with it the opposite trend the tendency to
be underweight. A lot of senior cats have a hard time absorbing and digesting
their food, and those cats need increased nutrition and a higher caloric diet in
order to keep their weight up.
How and what you feed your cat in its later years can make a significant
impact on the animals well-being. The diet isn't going to cure or prevent a
disease, but it might help the animal deal with the illness or feel better while
it has the disease, Dietary management plays an important role in the control of
many ailments common to older cats such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes,
kidney failure, dental problems and cancer.
Talk to your veterinarian about your cats particular health needs and
together discuss the variety of cat foods on the market and what type is best
for your geriatric cat. If your cat has a chronic illness, your veterinarian may
recommend a special diet to help with that problem in particular. For example, a
cat with a heart condition may do well with a low sodium senior diet.
Rather than leave food out for your cat all the time, you should feed your
cat at specific times during the day, preferably in the morning and again in the
evening. Meal-feeding is better for older animals because it helps you monitor
their food intake, to make sure they're not eating too much or too little, and
to know if they're having trouble getting food down, she says. Be sure to
measure the amount of food you give your cat so that you know how much you
should increase or decrease the portions should your cat start losing or gaining
weight.
For many cat owners, an aging cat is an old friend in need of a little
special care. Taking time to re-evaluate your senior cats changing nutritional
needs is a small kindness you can do for him that can have a big impact on his
quality of life.
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